Device, system and method of coordination among multiple transceivers

• US 7,778,226 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rayzman, Giora, Ratner, Miriam, Kaidar, Oren
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, WESLEY LEO
• Application Number:
  US11/392,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20070238482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/526, 455/63.1, 455/63.2, 455/67.13, 455/71, 455/78, 455/451, 455/509, 455/41.2, 370/337, 370/345, 370321-324, 370/350, 370/503, 370/504, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide devices, systems and methods of coordination among multiple transceivers. For example, an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol; a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol;

a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and

a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver,

wherein the first transceiver is to transmit to one or more wireless communication devices operating in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol a first silence period notification including one or more parameters defining the second time slots and requesting to withhold communication during the second time slots,

and wherein the second transceiver is to transmit to one or more wireless communication devices operating in accordance with the second wireless communication protocol a second silence period notification including one or more parameters defining the first time slots,

wherein the second silence period notification includes a first parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of one of said first time slots, and a second parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of one of said second time slots.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, during the first time slot the first transceiver is in operational mode and the second transceiver is in non-operational mode, and wherein during the second time slot the second transceiver is in operational mode and the first transceiver is in non-operational mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said communication coordinator is to alternate between said first time slots and said second time slots in accordance with an orderly Time-Divisional Multiple Access scheme.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said communication coordinator is to allocate one or more transition time slots in between said first and second time slots, and wherein said first and second transceivers are both non-operational during said one or more transition time slots.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component, wherein the first wireless transceiver is able to access said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component during the first time slots, and wherein the second wireless transceiver is able to access said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component during the second time slots.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first transceiver is to indicate to the second transceiver a start of an access by the first transceiver to said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component, and a duration of said access.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said shared Radio Frequency wireless communication component comprises a shared Radio Frequency antenna able to transmit and receive wireless communication signals.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first silence period notification comprises:

a silence duration parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of said second time slot; and

a silence periodicity parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of a period of repetition of the second time slot, wherein the period of repetition includes one of the first time slots and one of the first time slots.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second silence period notification includes a periodic scan request including a scan duration parameter and an interleaving interval parameter, wherein the scan duration parameter has a value corresponding to a duration of one of said first time slots and two transition time slots during which said first and second transceivers are both non-operational, and wherein the interleaving interval parameter has a value corresponding to a duration of one of said second time slots.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the periodic scan request further comprises a scan iteration parameter having a value corresponding to an estimated time allocated for a communication session including a sequence of one or more of said first time slots and one or more of said second time slots.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless transceiver is to transmit during at least one of said first time slots a Clear-to-send To Self frame, which is not directly followed by transmission of a data frame from the first wireless transceiver, to withhold communication in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol during at least one of said second time slots, wherein the Clear-to-send To Self frame includes a duration field having a value which is based on the duration of the at least one of the second time slots.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is to set a beacon interval of an Independent Basic Service Set including the first transceiver to an integer multiple of the sum of the durations of one of the first time slots, one of the second time slots and two transition time slots during which said first and second transceivers are both non-operational.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first transceiver to set a Transmission Opportunity period of the Independent Basic Service Set, and to transmit a Clear-to-send To Self frame which is not followed by a data frame no longer than a priority-inter-frame-space time period within the Transmission Opportunity period.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication protocol is IEEE 802.11 standard and said second wireless communication protocol is IEEE 802.16 standard.

15. A method comprising:

allocating one or more first time slots for communication by a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol;

allocating one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by a second wireless transceiver collocated with the first transceiver in a common wireless communication station, the second transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol;

transmitting from the first transceiver to one or more wireless communication devices operating in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol a first silence period notification including one or more parameters defining the second time slots and requesting to withhold communication during the second time slots; and

transmitting from the second transceiver to one or more wireless communication devices operating in accordance with the second wireless communication protocol a second silence period notification including one or more parameters defining the first time slots wherein the second silence period notification includes a first parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of one of said first time slots, and a second parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of one of said second time slots.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said first silence period notification comprises:

a silence duration parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of said second time slot; and

a silence periodicity parameter having a value corresponding to duration a of a period of repetition of the second time slot, wherein the period of repetition includes one of the first time slots and one of the first time slots,

and wherein the second period notification includes a periodic scan request including a scan duration parameter and an interleaving interval parameter, wherein the scan duration parameter has a value corresponding to a duration of one of said first time slots and two transition time slots during which said first and second transceivers are both non-operational, and wherein the interleaving interval parameter has a value corresponding to a duration of one of said second time slots.

17. The method of claim 15 comprising transmitting during at least one of said first time slots a Clear-to-send To Self frame, which is not directly followed by transmission of a data frame from the first wireless transceiver, to withhold communication in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol during at least one of said second time slots, wherein the Clear-to-send To Self frame includes a duration field having a value which is based on the duration of the at least one of the second time slots.

18. The method of claim 15 comprising:

setting a beacon interval of an Independent Basic Service Set including the first transceiver to an integer multiple of the sum of the durations of one of the first time slots, one of the second time slots and two transition time slots during which said first and second transceivers are both non-operational.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising:

setting a Transmission Opportunity period of the Independent Basic Service Set; and

transmitting a Clear-to-send To Self frame, which is not followed by a data frame, no longer than a priority-inter-frame-space time period within the Transmission Opportunity period.

20. The method of claim 15 comprising:

joining the first transceiver into a first Independent Basic Service Set in accordance with said first wireless communication protocol;

checking whether one or more parameters of the first Independent Basic Service Set are in accordance with the allocation of the first and second time slots; and

if it is determined that the parameter of the first Independent Basic Service Set is not in accordance with the allocation of the first and second time slots, initiating a second Independent Basic Service Set in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol, wherein a Service Set Identifier of the second Independent Basic Service Set is identical to a Service Set Identifier of the first Independent Basic Service Set, and wherein a Timing Synchronization Function value of the second Independent Basic Service Set is greater than a Timing Synchronization Function value of the first Independent Basic Service Set.

21. A wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless communication station comprising;

a dipole antenna to transmit and receive wireless communication signals;

a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol;

a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and

a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver,

wherein the first transceiver is to transmit to one or more wireless communication devices operating in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol a first silence period notification including one or more parameters defining the second time slots and requesting to withhold communication during the second time slots,

wherein the second transceiver is to transmit to one or more wireless communication devices operating in accordance with the second wireless communication protocol a second silence period notification including one or more parameters defining the first time slots, and wherein the second silence period notification includes a first parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of one of said first time slots, and a second parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of one of said second time slots.

22. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein during the first time slot the first transceiver is in operational mode and the second transceiver is in non-operational mode, and wherein during the second time slot the second transceiver is in operational mode and the first transceiver is in non-operational mode.

23. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein said first silence period notification comprises:

a silence duration parameter having a value corresponding to a duration of said second time slot; and

a silence periodicity parameter having a value corresponding to duration of a period of repetition of the second time slot, wherein the period of repetition includes one of the first time slots and one of the first time slots.

24. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the second silence period notification includes a periodic scan request including a scan duration parameter and an interleaving interval parameter, wherein the scan duration parameter has a value corresponding to a duration of one of said first time slots and two transition time slots during which said first and second transceivers are both non-operational, and wherein the interleaving interval parameter has a value corresponding to a duration of one of said second time slots.

25. The wireless communication system of claim 21, wherein the first wireless transceiver is to transmit during at least one of said first time slots a Clear-to-send To Self frame, which is not directly followed by transmission of a data frame from the first wireless transceiver, to withhold communication in accordance with the first wireless communication protocol during at least one of said second time slots, wherein the Clear-to-send To Self frame includes a duration field having a value which is based on the duration of the at least one of the second time slots.